Biting the Christmas Biscuit Read online

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  At 1:39 Christmas morning, Alec lay beside Eli, unable to sleep. He mulled over the previous few hours with the Tuckers and what had turned out to be several neighboring families. They were quickly embraced and hustled in out of the cold. The two of them were stripped of their bags, coats, and hats. A hot toddy was shoved into Alec’s hands, and he was ushered into the great room and deposited by the fire.

  After that it was all a bit of a blur. There were so many smiling faces coming at him that he didn’t know where to look first or who to talk to next. He was somewhat overwhelmed and Eli had vanished. Then Alec spotted him over the heads of his cheerful, little, intoxicated group. He was in the kitchen talking intently with Mrs. Tucker and Carmondy, who would periodically glance his way.

  Mrs. Tucker kept talking to and smiling and touching and hugging Eli. Alec watched her run her fingers through his hair with a good-natured look of disapproval. Then she rubbed the faint whiskers on his face and smiled at him. Then she was crying and embracing him again. Carmondy was happy, as well, but she was more subdued, especially when she glanced Alec’s way. He was soon dragged into the kitchen by a very drunk Mr. Tucker, who shockingly picked up Eli, but quickly put him down again at Mrs. Tucker’s urging.

  Alec glanced at his sleeping lover as he stifled an impending chuckle at the memory. There had been a few awkward introductions before he was hastily ushered away by Mrs. Tucker. All in all, it had been an interesting encounter.

  Tired of staring at the ceiling, he decided to get up but had to first extricate himself from Eli. He clung to him nearly every night, periodically squeezing him tightly in his sleep. It was like he was afraid Alec would slip away from him and he’d wake up alone.

  Unfortunately, that’s exactly what Alec was about to do. He gently lifted Eli’s arm that rested across his chest and held it aloft as he slid out from under it and off the bed. Then he slowly laid it to rest where he’d been lying.

  He watched Eli for any movement, but the most he did was mumble in his sleep. Alec quickly and quietly pulled on his robe, stepped into his slippers, grabbed his glasses, and left the room. They were bunking in the downstairs guest room because Eli couldn’t manage the stairs very easily.

  Alec moved silently down the hall toward the great room. He could hear the refrigerator humming, the kitchen clock ticking, and the wind blowing outside. There was no other sound; no one else was moving about upstairs or down.

  While their room was toasty enough to sleep without shirts, the dark hallway had a chill to it. He turned the corner into the great room and was met with the Tuckers’ magnificent tree. The fire had gone out, so it was the only source of light and cast a magical, twinkling glow throughout the room.

  Unlike the front yard, it boasted multi-colored lights; some blinking, some not. There were silvery icicles and ornaments from Christmases past, probably some even crafted by the Tucker children. He could easily imagine finding a small wood, hand-painted train engine with the name Bennett painted on it. Alec took a step forward but froze as the hardwood floor beneath him creaked.

  “Who is it?” a singsong voice asked out of the darkness at his right.

  “M-me,” he said uncertainly. There was a soft, feminine chuckle. “S-sorry, it’s- I mean, it’s Alec.”

  Carmondy sat up on the sofa and looked at him. She grinned and sipped her drink. Apparently she had been snoozing there or simply staring at the tree. “Come on in. Join the party.” Alec followed her instructions and walked deeper into the room. “Drink?” she asked.

  “No, thank you.” He was staring at the tree again, lost in its beauty and warmth. It was a real tree and with the angel on top, it just brushed the high ceiling. The scent coming from it was heavenly and filled the room. He felt like he could stare at it forever.

  Carmondy watched him for a few moments. “Couldn’t sleep?”

  He looked at her and smiled. “No, sorry to say.” He sat on the arm of the sofa. “I can’t seem to shut off my mind. How about you?”

  “I’ve got a bike to put together for Leah, my friend.”

  “Want some help?”

  “I’d love some,” she eagerly accepted. “First, let me fill this up again.” She dragged herself off the sofa and went to the bar in the corner to refresh her drink. Alec wandered over to the fireplace and began to examine the collection of pictures on the mantel. There was a beautiful one of Carmondy and Leah—no husband in the picture. There was an older one of the entire family, including Bennett and Eli.

  Alec glanced across the room at her as she poured her drink. He saw a resemblance to Bennett. She had his coloring, sandy blond hair, less wavy than his, but the same green eyes and smile. He had to admit, he had not seen her smile very much tonight. He turned back to the photos.

  “This must be strange for you, Alec,” she said as she approached him.

  “It is,” he admitted, “but I wanted….” The words still wouldn’t come. She sipped her drink, watching him as he fingered the family photo that included Eli. He looks happy standing there. A shiver ran through him, and he turned to her suddenly. “How about a fire?” he asked.

  “Mmm, good idea,” she said around the ice cube in her mouth. They both quickly knelt in front of the fireplace. He reached into the supply bucket for a new quick-catch log and a lighter while she removed the spark screen. Working as a team they had a fire going in five minutes flat. Once it was good and strong, he tossed on a wood log, and they sat back to watch it, their faces bathed in the glow and welcome warmth.

  “I wanted to see what you were like,” Alec began. “Your family. His family,” he said glancing up at Bennett’s photo. He sighed as his eyes settled back on the dancing flames, and he went on. “Bennett meant so much to the people in my life now. I thought if I understood him, where he came from, that somehow I could learn to measure up.”

  Carmondy shook her head vigorously. “Oh, you can’t possibly measure up. No way,” she said as she finished off her drink.

  Alec grinned at her honesty. “I suspected as much.”

  “No, Alec, seriously. Listen. Eli loved my brother and vice versa, but he’s gone. Eli loves you and only you,” she assured him. He didn’t say anything, but his silence shouted his doubts. “Look, I understand you may not want to take relationship advice from the divorced lady,” she said with a laugh, and Alec smiled at her. “What are you, thirty? Thirty-two?” she asked. “Surely, you’ve been in love before.”

  “Yes.”

  “Has Eli erased your memories of them, of how they touched and affected your life?” she asked. He reluctantly shook his head. “They shaped the man you are just as Eli’s life with Bennett shaped him. Those who came before made the two of you ready for each other.”

  “You didn’t seem too eager for me to be here last night,” he said, and Carmondy blushed.

  She looked into the fire again. It was easier than looking at his handsome face; she couldn’t see his eyes behind the flames reflected in his glasses.“Fair enough,” she said with a smile. “It was mom’s idea to invite you; what can I say? It’s Christmas and I miss my brother. Hell, I miss my husband. I miss how Christmas used to be.” She sighed, got to her feet, and headed for the bar again but stopped herself. “I wanted all of us to live happily ever after, but my brother was murdered because he loved a man.” She paused, reading the concern on Alec’s face, and then lowered her angry voice. “And that man, a good man, watched it happen and is permanently crippled! I wanted my daughter to grow up like I did, but my husband cheated, I kicked his ass out, and got a divorce.”

  “Are you regretting that?”

  “I am now. I’m drunk and it’s Christmas!” They both laughed, easing the tension. “Look, Alec, I know how Eli sees this family, and I fear he may have built us up to you, but we’re far from perfect.”

  “I’ll need a list, I’m afraid,” he said teasingly, and she laughed again.

  “When Bennett came out to my parents, they lost it! He was sixte
en or so, and there was shouting and crying and pleading and doors slamming. It was a real mess. But, you know, when you love someone, you find your way around or through difficulty.” She sat her empty glass on the coffee table and joined him on the floor again. “After some time, a few boyfriends, much research, and support groups, my parents slowly began to remember how much they loved him and how much they wanted him to be happy.”

  “I didn’t have that.”

  “I know, I know. Neither did Eli, and that’s why I think he believes the Tuckers simply sprang to life one day as we are now.”

  “So you don’t resent me for being here?” he asked.

  “No. I resent that my brother is not.” She reached out and smacked him upside the head. “You’re funny. I like you. Now help me put this thing together, but be quiet about it.”

  The fire died down and the room grew chilly over the three hours it took them to assemble the shiny red bike. They worked mostly under the light from the lamp on the sofa table. After it was done—training wheels and all—Carmondy was about to turn off the lamp and head back to bed, but Alec stopped her.

  “What’s this?” he asked.

  “Oh, jeez, almost forgot,” she said. As he looked on, she reached into the pocket of her robe, removed a small, folded, white card, and placed it on the table beside a tiny red plate of sugar cookies. She felt him watching her. “It’s a note from Santa, thanking Leah for the cookies and milk,” she said softly. “She and I baked these after you and Eli crashed for the night.”

  Carmondy picked up a cookie, took a single bite, and then replaced it on the plate. Alec smiled as she washed the cookie down by gulping the contents of a short, cobalt blue glass, and then placed it back on the table.

  “You really go all out, huh?”

  “You have no idea,” she said as she switched off the lamp. “I’m lactose intolerant.” They chuckled softly and walked into the hall together. They lingered by the stairs, not knowing what else to say to each other.

  “I’d better get back to bed before Eli wakes up without me,” he said.

  She nodded. “See you in a couple of hours,” she whispered as she began to climb the steps. “You haven’t seen insanity until you’ve experienced a Tucker Christmas morning.” They smiled at each other. “Thanks for your help, Alec,” she whispered, squeezing his hand. Then they parted ways.

  Alec entered his room as silently as he’d left. He removed his robe and glasses and kicked off his slippers before sliding back into bed next to Eli. Luckily, he’d changed position and was now facing away from him. He had also kicked the covers off and was farther onto his own side of the bed.

  He carefully climbed into bed and slid up close against Eli’s back; then he draped his arm across him. The coarse hair on his chest tickled Alec’s arm as he held him tightly, trying to get warm again. Eli stirred and mumbled but didn’t wake. This man can sleep through anything. Alec smiled and kissed the top of Eli’s head before resting his face in his shaggy hair. Unconsciously, Eli’s hand reached up to grip his arm, clinging to him in his sleep.

  “Merry Christmas, love,” Alec whispered.

  Got Mistletoe Madness?

  The Dreamspinner Press 2009 Advent Calendar is available at http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com.

  About the Author

  Dawn Kimberly Johnson is a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, where she grew up and still lives. For eight years she worked as a copy editor at a daily newspaper before heading west to Oregon in search of adventure. After eight years there, five of them good, she returned home where she is trying to regain her health and still hoping for the best.

  Copyright

  Biting the Christmas Biscuit ©Copyright Dawn Kimberly Johnson, 2009

  Published by

  Dreamspinner Press

  4760 Preston Road

  Suite 244-149

  Frisco, TX 75034

  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Art by Paul Richmond http://www.paulrichmondstudio.com

  Cover Design by Mara McKennen

  This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. This eBook cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this eBook can be shared or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press at: 4760 Preston Road, Suite 244-149, Frisco, TX 75034 http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

  Released in the United States of America

  December 2009

  eBook Edition

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-61581-314-8